Local family concerned about deplorable condition at Short Creek Cemetery

WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) – It’s a situation everyone fears—losing a family member. But knowing they are at peace can be comforting to someone grieving. So, what do you do if your loved one’s final resting place is in a deplorable condition? That’s the situation one local family is now facing.

It’s a way of memorializing a loved one. A place where friends and family can gather to honor those who have passed away. Each row lined with flags and memorabilia. A beautiful area where each and every plot is respected. But that’s sadly not the case at Short Creek Cemetery.

Her grave is undone. It’s not even finished. I don’t know what’s going on here.

CAROL PETHTEL – CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBER

That’s the
situation Betty Nice and her family were exposed to a few short weeks ago.
Grave heads moved, boulder over resting loved ones, and an unfinished burial
plot from six months ago. Now, they’re not sure where their family lies.

I got the courage to come back, and I have been up here before and it never looked like this. But my sister died six months ago, like I said, and I finally got the courage to come up here, and this is what I get to see. I don’t even know what to say.

CAROL PETHTEL – CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBER

Now, the
family is left looking at a dirt pile while others in the community have a
sacred ground to honor those passed.

I can’t understand why it’s not finished. They just put her in the ground, put a little bit of dirt on top of there, and there’s holes in there. It’s not finished. They left her. They left her.

CAROL PETHTEL & BETTY NICE – CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBER

The plots were purchased years prior by a family member. Now, the gravestones that lie above their loved ones are left simply sitting in the dirt, not cemented to the ground, and very un-secure—unlike most others at Short Creek Cemetery.

It was heartbreaking. It was heart wrenching to see your family like this. And it’s supposed to be their final resting place. So, it was heartbreaking.

BETTY NICE – CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBER

So—they’re
looking for answers.

I’m hoping that they do the right thing, Short Creek Cemetery, and fix it. If not, I don’t know. I will spend my last dollar trying to fix it.

BETTY NICE – CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBER

7News reached out to the owners of the cemetery and they say they were aware of the boulders on the plots, but the cemetery is run primarily by volunteers. So, to move the boulders they must wait until a backhoe and dump truck become available. As for the sunken plot, they say the ground has to settle before more dirt can be placed. But—they say they take care of the land the best they can and hope to have the situation taken care of soon.